Squash vs. Gourd vs. Pumpkin 🎃 The tricky thing about squashes and gourds is that there isn't really a difference in how they are grown or how they look. It all depends on whether or not you can (pleasantly) eat them. The things preventing you from eating gourds pleasantly are… Their tough almost rock solid skin. This is why the main use of gourds is to let them dry out fully and make water jugs or bowls. Their lack of flesh. For how hard it is to get into their shell, there really isn't that m